Carpenters, woodworkers and handymen who work with wood as well as other materials, often need a work bench or table which may be utilized to hold workpieces. Ordinarily, these work benches include a metal frame and a table surface connected to the frame, the table surface including at least two substantially flat members. The table surface members are commonly made of wood or a similar material. One of the members is movably coupled with said frame in order to enable clamping of a workpiece between said members. The drive mechanism for moving the member may be operable using two hands, or even one hand. These tables may provide for secure clamping and may be versatile, compact and adjustable.
The frames of such work benches are often foldable, such that the table surface and frame can easily and safely be folded between an open, ‘in-use’ position and a compact, closed position. In the ‘in-use’ position, the table surface is supported by the frame in a substantially horizontal orientation and can be used in various ways, for example to support or to clamp a workpiece. In the closed position, the supporting frame is collapsed in order to make it easier for a user to carry the work bench in the closed position, and to minimize the space needed to store the work bench. The folding operation normally requires the user to activate one or more catches, which allows the frame to be folded or legs to be extended or collapsed in a number of stages. The folding operation is often difficult and awkward for the user due to the weight of the work bench itself and the movements that need to be made, and foreign objects may easily become trapped between hinged frame components. It is therefore desirable to provide an improved folding mechanism.